Mario Marengo
This historic winery was founded in 1899 by the Marengo family. Mario Marengo is the current owner and heir to the founder, Marco. Since taking over, he and his wife Jenny and son Stefano (oenologist) have implemented significant changes in both the vineyard and the cellar regarding wine production and grape cultivation. As a result, the winery has received a tremendous boost in quality, and Marengo’s wines are in high demand both domestically and internationally.
They own just 6 hectares of vineyards, including 1.2 hectares of Brunate, one of the most important crus in La Morra, and 1 hectare in Bricco delle Viole, one of the most important crus in Barolo. These two vineyards have been owned by the Marengo family for five generations. The first Barolo bottling with the Brunate label was in 1974. Bricco delle Viole followed only in 1997.
The current winemaker Marco's philosophy is to respect what the vineyards give him as much as possible; for him, the work in the field is more important than the work in the cellar.
In addition to the crus, the Barolo Classico, a blend of the Roncaglie, Serradenari, Boiola, and Fossati vineyards in La Morra, should not go unmentioned. Personally, we are very impressed with this Classico.
As the icing on the cake, the Marengos own a piece of land on the legendary historic Valmaggiora hill, a sort of amphitheater in Vezza d'Alba, Roero. From the grapes sourced from this exceptional plot, they produce a thousand bottles of Nebbiolo d'Alba.
Marengo's winemaking style can safely be called modern. Normally, that is not our preference, but we are happy to make an exception for Marengo. They look very closely at what the grape needs to produce the best possible wine. Marco Marengo is a grandmaster in the use of oak, and Marengo’s wines will never give you that "typical woody" mouthfeel that is often the case with less skilled wineries. In addition, the house is increasingly opting for maturation in tonneaux.
With about 30,000 bottles per year and vineyards in the best crus, this is a winery that makes us very happy.
